Republic of Arizona
The Republic of Arizona is a sovereign nation in the former Southwestern United States. The capital and largest city of Arizona is Phoenix, followed by Tucson then Flagstaff. Arizona--once part of the so-called "Four Corners" states encompassing New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado--is bordered by Mexico to the south and east, Utah to the north, and the UAPR to the west, as well as having a small border with the Midwestern Union. Arizona was the 48th state admitted to the former United States, and was the last of the contiguous states to be admitted, gaining its statehood on February 14th, 1912. Most of the state was acquired by the United States after the conclusion of the Mexican-American War, save the region surrounding Tucson which was purchased in the "Gadsden Purchase" in 1853. Much of Southern and Central Arizona is known for its mountainous and desert climate, with very hot summers but mild winters. Northern Arizona features forests of pine, Douglas fir, and spruce trees; the Colorado Plateau; some mountain ranges (such as the San Francisco Mountains); as well as large, deep canyons, with much more moderate summer temperatures and significant winter snowfalls. In addition to holding one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon, Arizona also holds multiple large forests and other national parks. (Much of the state was once made up of Indian reservations, but these reservations have ceased to exist following the collapse of the United States. Despite this, the Arizonan government have largely left the Indians alone, opting to only create local police forces to replace the reservation police.) I made this part up. Awaiting approval on lore. Etymology The name of Arizona has multiple unconfirmed possible origins. The most probable of all of them seems to be from the spanish "Arizonac" which came from the O'odham word alĭ ṣonak ''meaning "small spring". Another possible origin is the Basque phrase ''haritz ona ("the good oak"), as there were numerous Basque sheepherders in the area. Pre-Collapse For thousands of years before the modern era, Arizona was home to numerous Native American tribes. Hohokam, Mogollon and Ancestral Puebloan cultures were among the many that flourished throughout the state. Many of their pueblos, cliffside dwellings, rock paintings and other prehistoric treasures have survived, attracting thousands of tourists each year. The first European contact by native peoples was with Marcos de Niza, a Spanish Franciscan, in 1539. He explored parts of the present state and made contact with native inhabitants, probably the Sobaipuri. The expedition of Spanish explorer Coronado entered the area in 1540–1542 during its search for Cíbola. Few Spanish settlers migrated to Arizona. One of the first settlers in Arizona was José Romo de Vivar. Father Kino was the next European in the region. A member of the Society of Jesus ("Jesuits"), he led the development of a chain of missions in the region. He converted many of the Indians to Christianity in the Pimería Alta (now southern Arizona and northern Sonora) in the 1690s and early 18th century. Spain founded presidios ("fortified towns") at Tubac in 1752 and Tucson in 1775. When Mexico achieved its independence from the Kingdom of Spain and its Spanish Empire in 1821, what is now Arizona became part of its Territory of Nueva California, ("New California"), also known as Alta California ("Upper California"). Descendants of ethnic Spanish and mestizo settlers from the colonial years still lived in the area at the time of the arrival of later European-American migrants from the United States. During the Mexican–American War (1847–1848), the U.S. Army occupied the national capital of Mexico City and pursued its claim to much of northern Mexico, including what later became Arizona Territory in 1863 and later the State of Arizona in 1912. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) specified that, in addition to language and cultural rights of the existing inhabitants of former Mexican citizens being considered as inviolable, the sum of US$15 million dollars in compensation (equivalent to $424,269,230.77 in 2017.) be paid to the Republic of Mexico. In 1853, the U.S. acquired the land south below the Gila River from Mexico in the Gadsden Purchase along the southern border area as encompassing the best future southern route for a transcontinental railway. What is now known as the state of Arizona was initially administered by the United States government as part of the Territory of New Mexico until the southern part of that region seceded from the Union to form the Territory of Arizona. This newly established territory was formally organized by the Confederate States government on Saturday, January 18, 1862, when President Jefferson Davis approved and signed An Act to Organize the Territory of Arizona, marking the first official use of the name "Territory of Arizona". The Southern territory supplied the Confederate government with men, horses, and equipment. Formed in 1862, Arizona scout companies served with the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. Arizona has the westernmost military engagement on record during the Civil War with the Battle of Picacho Pass. The Federal government declared a new U.S. Arizona Territory, consisting of the western half of earlier New Mexico Territory, in Washington, D.C., on February 24, 1863. These new boundaries would later form the basis of the state. The first territorial capital, Prescott, was founded in 1864 following a gold rush to central Arizona. Although names including "Gadsonia," "Pimeria," "Montezuma" and "Arizuma" had been considered for the territory, when 16th President Abraham Lincoln signed the final bill, it read "Arizona," and that name was adopted. (Montezuma was not derived from the Aztec emperor, but was the sacred name of a divine hero to the Pima people of the Gila River Valley. It was probably considered—and rejected—for its sentimental value before Congress settled on the name "Arizona.") Brigham Young, patriarchal leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City in Utah, sent Mormons to Arizona in the mid- to late 19th century. They founded Mesa, Snowflake, Heber, Safford, and other towns. They also settled in the Phoenix Valley (or "Valley of the Sun"), Tempe, Prescott, and other areas. The Mormons settled what became northern Arizona and northern New Mexico. At the time these areas were located in a part of the former New Mexico Territory. 'Early 20th century to 1987' During the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1920, several battles were fought in the Mexican towns just across the border from Arizona settlements. Throughout the revolution, numerous Arizonans enlisted in one of the several armies fighting in Mexico. Only two significant engagements took place on U.S. soil between U.S. and Mexican forces: Pancho Villa's 1916 Columbus Raid in New Mexico, and the Battle of Ambos Nogales in 1918 in Arizona. The Americans won the latter. After U.S. soldiers were fired on by Mexican federal troops, the American garrison launched an assault into Nogales, Mexico. The Mexicans eventually surrendered after both sides sustained heavy casualties. A few months earlier, just west of Nogales, an Indian War battle had occurred, considered the last engagement in the American Indian Wars, which lasted from 1775 to 1918. U.S. soldiers stationed on the border confronted Yaqui Indians who were using Arizona as a base to raid the nearby Mexican settlements, as part of their wars against Mexico. Arizona became a U.S. state on February 14, 1912. Arizona was the 48th state admitted to the U.S. and the last of the contiguous states to be admitted. Cotton farming and copper mining, two of Arizona's most important statewide industries, suffered heavily during the Great Depression. But during the 1920s and even the 1930s, tourism began to develop as the important Arizonan industry it is today. Dude ranches, such as the K L Bar and Remuda in Wickenburg, along with the Flying V and Tanque Verde in Tucson, gave tourists the chance to take part in the flavor and activities of the "Old West." Several upscale hotels and resorts opened during this period, some of which are still top tourist draws. They include the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in central Phoenix (opened 1929) and the Wigwam Resort on the west side of the Phoenix area (opened 1936). Arizona was the site of German POW camps during World War II and Japanese-American internment camps. Because of wartime fears of Japanese invasion of the West Coast, the government authorized the removal of all Japanese-American residents from western Washington, western Oregon, all of California, and western Arizona. From 1942 to 1945, they were forced to reside in internment camps built in the interior of the country. Many lost their homes and businesses in the process. The camps were abolished after World War II. The Phoenix-area German P.O.W. site was purchased after the war by the Maytag family (of major home appliance fame). It was developed as the site of the Phoenix Zoo. A Japanese-American internment camp was located on Mount Lemmon, just outside the state's southeastern city of Tucson. Another POW camp was located near the Gila River in eastern Yuma County. Arizona was also home to the Phoenix Indian School, one of several federal Indian boarding schools designed to assimilate Native American children into mainstream European-American culture. Children were often enrolled into these schools against the wishes of their parents and families. Attempts to suppress native identities included forcing the children to cut their hair, to take and use English names, to speak only English, and to practice Christianity rather than their native religions. Numerous Native Americans from Arizona fought for the United States during World War II. Their experiences resulted in a rising activism in the postwar years to achieve better treatment and civil rights after their return to the state. After Maricopa County did not allow them to register to vote, in 1948 veteran Frank Harrison and Harry Austin, of the Mojave-Apache Tribe at Fort McDowell Indian Reservation, brought a legal suit, Harrison and Austin v. Laveen, to challenge this exclusion. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled in their favor. Arizona's population grew tremendously with residential and business development after World War II, aided by the widespread use of air conditioning, which made the intensely hot summers more comfortable. According to the Arizona Blue Book (published by the Arizona Secretary of State's office each year), the state population in 1910 was 294,353. By 1970, it was 1,752,122. The percentage growth each decade averaged about 20% in the earlier decades, and about 60% each decade thereafter. In the 1960s, retirement communities were developed. These were special age-restricted subdivisions catering exclusively to the needs of senior citizens; they attracted many retirees who wanted to escape the harsh winters of the Midwest and the Northeast. Sun City, established by developer Del Webb and opened in 1960, was one of the first such communities. Green Valley, south of Tucson, was another such community, designed as a retirement subdivision for Arizona's teachers. Many senior citizens from across the U.S. and Canada come to Arizona each winter and stay only during the winter months; they are referred to as snowbirds. Three ships named [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Arizona USS Arizona] have been christened in honor of the state, although only [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Arizona_(BB-39) USS Arizona (BB-39)] was so named after statehood was achieved. Post-Collapse Following the Great American collapse in 1987, Arizona was thrust into independence, having a small economy and litttle natural resources. Despite its large store of valuable resources such as coal, copper, and a large aircraft industry, it managed to become a neutral state, trading with most of its neighbors. Arizona does not have a standing army, but maintains a small remnant of the National Guard as a defence force and also maintains a large amount of former U.S. combat air vehicles. It's geography makes it easily defendible, with the North being cold mountainous forests, Central Arizona being mountainous and desert, and the South being mostly desert. Surprisingly, the UAPR has not attempted an invasion since the Collapse, and has largely respected Arizonan independence. Althought not formally recognizing Arizona as independent, it has conducted small trade and has allowed the Arizonans to continue to harvest power from the Hoover Dam and import water and food. Since the end of the United States, Arizona has seen a large population increase. Most of these extra people originate from other states, such as Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado, fleeing chaos and the breakdown of civil order. Unlike the rest of the country, little has changed in Arizona since the collapse. Remaining one of the only true American democracies left after the Collapse, Arizona has largely made attempts to move on and operate as normal. Many citizens still identify as Americans and the American flag can still be spotted in many places around the small nation. Government and Politics Arizona's government has largely remained the same as it was since before the collapse, and much of the population has made it their mission to try and maintain the American way of life in their new country. Officially an independent state, the leader of Arizona has abandoned the title of Governor in favor of President. The crafters of modern Arizona made sure that a new Arizonan constitution would be written, and would include much of the former United States constitution. The entire Bill of Rights, the Preamble, and many other parts of the United States constitution were written in to the new document. Arizona's political divide has also largely remained the same, being a largely right wing state overall but not by much. The left has seen growing popularity, with the ascension of the Social Union, a liberal party, to the presidency and a majority in both houses of congress. Harry Mitchell, the current President of Arizona, has led the nation for many years and is largely credited with its current level prosperity. Former mayor of Tempe, he witnessed his states shift from state to nation-state, and has been an instrumental tool in its rise. The political right has lost its ability to unite, as it has been split among Nationalists and moderate conservatives. The nationalists see the fall of America as a disgrace and have lobbied for a reunification in congress, while the conservatives believe in a stable and peaceful independent Arizona.